Victorian Projects and Sites
Box Hill Memorial Relocation
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Landscape Architects: Coomes Consulting Group / City of Whitehorse
Location: Box Hill Gardens, City of Whitehorse
In 2007 Coomes Consulting Group were commissioned to prepare a design for the relocation of the City of Whitehorse’s WW1 and WW2 Memorials into the Box Hill Gardens. The decision by council to relocate the memorials was driven by issues of attracting large crowds to the original site on Whitehorse Rd, which presented council with a logistical and OHS issue on a bi-annual basis.
The design process for relocation involved significant consultation with the local RSL for the nomination of the proposed site within the gardens. Upon approval of the proposed location, Concept Design and Construction Documentation followed.
The design incorporates a series of memorial objects that were previously in separate locations. One of the key components for their relocation was that their positioning within the same site did not detract one object from another. The setting presented needed to accommodate the requirements of large gatherings on commemoration days without impacting upon the existing open lawn setting of the gardens.
The 2007 ANZAC Day was the first service held at the new site and the 2008 Dawn Service saw the official opening and consecration of the new setting. The new location and design now provide the City of Whitehorse with a significantly revitalised asset to benefit the community. Both services significantly demonstrated the success of the new setting and the benefits of providing this setting of significance commemoration to the local community.
Coomes Consulting Group, September 2008
introduction / overview / images / location / projects
2008
